


Digital Time

by thebatjokesonyou



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Webseries)
Genre: A lot of this is gay fluff, Awkward dinner business, Body Positivity, Collin doesn't know how to talk to people, Collin likes pushin extra cushion, Collin/Tony, Confused sexuality, Digital Time - Freeform, Don't hug me I'm scared, Everybody actually learns something, Everybody is dealing with being human now, Fluff, Homophobia, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, I'm so sorry for that, Literally every teacher so far, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, One Shot, Previous padlock?, Romantic Comedy, Stuffing Fetish, Wakey wakey, awkward gays, chubby character, humanoid au, mentioned padlock, sketch's gender is paper, super gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 14:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16389236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebatjokesonyou/pseuds/thebatjokesonyou
Summary: "So. Um." Tony was struggling to think of a topic until he found one. "Do you like. Pizza?" It was weak but it was something. Even if Tony hated the phrase as it came out of his mouth.Collin cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Y-Yes. I do. Like pizza." It was a weak response but it was either that or silence. Even if Collin loathed every word being babbled."Why um. Why do you like pizza?" Tony asked, mentally cursing himself for asking the world's dumbest question."I like pizza. Because. It tastes rather. Cheesy. And I like. Clocks. I MEAN CHEESE!"





	Digital Time

**Author's Note:**

> HI HELLO I'M NOT DEAD!
> 
> I'm so into Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, people thought I was insane for staying in this fandom bUT I KNEW IT WOULD COME BACK EVENTUALLY.
> 
> Also yes, I ship Tony and Collin like crazy and I'm using their "human names"! In this AU, the teachers are stuck with the regular gang (they're already human) and then randomly become humanoids. Which brings a bit of drama to the table.
> 
> Names for Clarification:
> 
> Sketch - Creative Teacher  
> Tony - Time Teacher  
> Shrignold - Love Teacher  
> Collin - Technology Teacher  
> Stacey - Spinach Can (Health Teacher)  
> Stanley - Meat Man (Health Teacher)  
> Larry - Dream Teacher  
> Harry- Red Guy  
> Robin - Duck Guy  
> Doi - Yellow Guy

Tony was slumped over the kitchen counter, his eyes down on the island as he absently stared at the empty tea cup in his hand. There were several others just like it all over the table and he looked up, knowing it wasn't enough. "Stanley! One more!"

"That'll be the last tea bag we have and that would mean you'd owe me another favour. Are you sure you want to do it?" Stanley asked, already putting the kettle on the stove because he knew the answer he'd get.

"Of course! I need some bloody tea and if that's the last we got, then pour it!" He snapped, his eyes flashing red briefly before he let out a sigh, gripping his hair and letting his face hit the desk. "I'm so unpleasant. It's no wonder she doesn't want me."

Collin, who was well aware of the situation, approached Tony, sitting on the stool next to his. "Oh, hello, Tony! Fancy running into you here. The kitchen doesn't tend to be our kind of domain." That was only partially true. As objects, no one had needed anything from the kitchen. As humanoids, they were all quickly learning the benefits of food and eating.

Tony slowly raised his head, staring at Collin through bleary, pink tinted eyes. "No, it doesn't. But I'm not sure why you'd even come here. You hardly ever eat." As opposed to the former clock who tended to eat when he read or watched telly which quickly turned his middle soft and round.

"Oh, well, I'm not really hungry. But I did want to see how you were doing. I thought you might want to chat about something. It's been awhile since it's been just the two of us." Collin looked away briefly, adjusting his glasses at the many memories of arguments/moments of adoration between them as objects. Now that they had hair and bones, things like that occurred less and less.

Tony scoffed, wiping away snot with his sleeve and not caring about his appearance for once. "Sketch broke up with me. Again. Even though I put so much into this, so much of my adoration and t-time into her! I don't know what she wants. She told me we were incompatible, that she loved me as a friend and that's all fine and good but I'm still in love with her. Them. Sketch has always been a good friend and they've changed so much. I don't know. I'm not nearly as artsy as her. She even called my lesson boring. Ugh." He curled up some into himself, trying to ignore the urge to vomit. "I'm not good enough for her anyways. I can't even get the damn pronoun right!"

Collin raised a hand in some dismissal, watching his friend with concern. "Sketch doesn't mind being called she/her! I remember! She even said if she wanted to be called something else she'd say so but she hasn't told us anything right now so you're not hurting her feelings! She isn't even listening! Don't be so hard on yourself!" He finally set a hand on the other's shoulder, hating the physical contact but still trying to urge himself to do it. To his knowledge, mammals found comfort in touches like this and it helped form stronger social bonds.

Tony didn't swat the touch away, sitting up somewhat straighter. "I have such a hard time fitting in with the modern world. I want to. I do. I love what the future has in store but my head's so stuck in the past, I can hardly give what's going on around me a second glance. You're lucky to be so aware of trends and things of that nature when I can hardly remember what year it is or how to use the laptop."

"Well, I mean. As much as I like being trendy and stuff, I wish I had half as much understanding of the past. You talk about it with such vigour, like you were around there, experiencing it all that time. You've got a knack for story telling. Me? I know things but I can't do that. I can't tell a story, I can give a definition and when I try to explain things, people get annoyed with me. But you've got such an easy to listen to voice and a clear passion for it, I think you're much luckier for having a skill that's harder to find." Collin admitted, his spare hand cupping his own cheek before he gave Tony a small pat. "If you ask me, I don't think you're boring at all."

Tony felt his cheeks turn a light purple and tried to find words to say to that. "Wow. No one's ever complimented me like that before. Um. Thank you, Collin. I don't think your lesson or you is boring either." He managed, taking the tea that was served to him and failing to convince himself that the drink was the only thing making him feel warm.

•••

It was a few days later that the interaction had together began to truly effect how they saw each other. How in the world they'd ended up in Collin's bedroom together was a mystery but things were quickly escalating to a place neither was absolutely sure about.

Tony knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. Something about Collin had changed in his mind and it drew him in, hook, line and sinker. Suddenly, Collin stood out in every room he was in, every place where he just sat. His voice was clearer than everyone's, his jokes were funnier than anyone else's, his various sounds were charming. It was driving him insane. "You've been rather quiet since we got here."

Collin didn't even have a valid excuse for it. His heart was pumping hard and his mind was racing, attempting to dismiss his recent symptoms and feelings he had around Tony as allergies or fatigue or anything. "Uh. I'm sorry, there's a lot on my mind." He didn't mention the "a lot" was Tony, a crush he'd had along with Sketch for some time until she finally made the move and won him over. At the time, the computer was jealous but he understood that Tony had been trying his hardest to woo her and that their arguments probably didn't mean what Collin hoped they did. Now, he was starting to wish he'd become bitter instead. Hating or ignoring Tony was so much harder when he'd forgiven everyone involved ages ago.

"So. Um." Tony was struggling to think of a topic until he found one. "Do you like. Pizza?" It was weak but it was something. Even if Tony hated the phrase as it came out of his mouth.

Collin cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Y-Yes. I do. Like pizza." It was a weak response but it was either that or silence. Even if Collin loathed every word being babbled.

"Why. Why do you like pizza?" Tony asked, mentally cursing himself for asking the world's dumbest question.

 _Oh fuck._ "I like pizza. Because. It tastes rather. Cheesy. And I like. Clocks. CHEESE!" _OH FUCK._

Tony's entire face was a deep lavender shade. "I like computers. There's um. Nothing wrong with liking what we used to be. I mean. I like this too." That was slightly better.

"I like this too." Collin nodded until he realised Tony just said the same thing and that it sounded weird. "I like you too." _O h F u C k._

"You like me?" Tony inquired, butterflies tumbling around like drunkards in his stomach. "In what way?" He wasn't going to be presumptuous. He wasn't. Even if Collin's glasses looked so cute on him. Even if he really, really wanted to tell him he loved that shade of green on him.

Collin was malfunctioning. Error. Error. Idiot alert. Mainframe disabled. Automated response enabled. "I think you're interesting. Very interesting. I like. How you smell. Like chestnut pine and cedar." _RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY, RUN AWA-_

"Thanks. Yourglasseslookcuteonyou." Tony suddenly blurted, his face burning hard and his red moustache twitching a little. "They compliment your frame." That sounded deviant. Was he a deviant? If he could erase his words from existence, he would greatly appreciate it.

"Thanks." Now Collin couldn't breathe. "I think I like you. A lot." He wasn't sure why he was saying what he was saying but he supposed there was no sense in hiding. Might as well get this all over with.

"Me too. I. Like you a lot too." Tony nodded mindlessly, feeling strangely light as the words came from Collin's mouth. Somehow, he started leaning in but froze, not knowing if it was okay or if it would ruin the mood to ask. He'd never kissed someone on the mouth before. Sketch had always been adamant in kisses on cheeks, head and occasionally the nose but he'd never had a proper kiss.

Collin smiled, his head spinning and his heart out of control while his toes curled in his crocs. He didn't think he could speak but he got closer seeing Tony do the same. Was it too early, too quick, too much? He'd been dying for a chance like this, how was he supposed to take it? He'd never had more than a 3 minute hug, how was he supposed to kiss someone?

There was a long lull between them before all of a sudden, the tension in the room snapped. It was as if the positive and negative charged parts of magnets were finally aligned. And somehow, they kissed. And kissed. And kissed. When someone broke away from someone, they were both too light headed to even try and put together comprehensible sentences.

"The rocket ship thing makes so much more sense now." Tony mumbled, having a strange memory of watching a cartoon where sparks flew as they kissed. His brain was in the aftermath of a D.C. 4th of July celebration. Hot and melted and happy and full of pride. Why on Earth that was the case was beyond Tony but he wasn't going to complain. It was good, it was very good and seeing Collin gaze back with his glasses askew and his smile absolutely stupid, Tony knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Did I do that? With you? In real life? This isn't a dream at all?" Collin's voice was slurred and a bit broken from sheer, incomprehensible joy. He'd been wanting that for awhile now, long enough that the satisfaction from the wait being over was enough to make him want to kiss Tony again. Then again, he'd want to kiss Tony again regardless. For once, it was his hands that had started to explore and ended up on Tony's hips and plush stomach. It felt so good, something about the chubby brunette's most malleable spots made Collin unable to fight a smile.

Tony felt the digits squirming on him and let out a small squeak, not having noticed it before but now all-too aware of the touch. It felt weird and good and he liked having Collin's hands roam the area. "Collin? Did you mean to put your hands there?" It seemed like a little accident, as that was something he was sure Sketch had always tried to ignore.

"Hm?" Collin, the lovesick puppy, tilted his head in curiosity before he noticed just where his hands were. "O-Oh! I'm sorry! It just felt so good to touch, I'm-what was I thinking, I'm s-" He tried to pull away but was met with a small peck on the lips, his body stilling.

"I don't mind." Tony clarified, glad to have the other's attention back so quickly. "You can touch there, if you want. Let's just not get any lower. For now."

Collin swallowed down saliva gathering in his mouth, his hands going back to drawing circles and gently kneading the pudge. Carbohydrates had turned into fat being stored all over his body which would help him survive a famine, if need be. Currently, it was making Collin's head go fuzzy and drool have to be fought back but he also appreciated the technicality. He also supposed that technically, it felt so, so soft and good, he couldn't stop touching. A deep urge to lay his head there and nuzzle him was fought off tooth and nail. That was probably going too far. "Okay~" Collin crooned, already lost in a plush daydream.

"Is that section all that alluring? I've always assumed most people were repulsed by bodies of my stature." Tony confessed, moaning softly when the curious touches transitioned into gentle rubs. "C-Collin...~"

"If that's what most people think, fuck it. Conventional attraction is highly overrated." Collin smirked, watching the other melt into his hands. "This is what I've been wanting to do for awhile and if you want to do it too, I've got hours of my schedule already cleared for it. You're what I've been wanting for ages."

Tony whined, burying his face on the other's neck. "Don't say that. I'll lose my mind if you say something like that again. If you do say it again though, hypothetically of course, maybe you should rub slightly harder when y- _Colllinnnn~_ " The last word was a purr, his eyebrows knit together at the intimate touch as they were quickly becoming a tangled, cuddling mess.

"I've wanted to kiss you for ages, Tony. Though I did want to properly ask to court you first." Collin noted, continuing his touches and soon shifting into the big spoon position so he could hold the other.

Tony turned around, making eye contact with him. "Yes. Please. Date me. Boyfriend, please. I know that's gay, I don't care, we're not even technically people, kiss and rub more and teach me about video games." It was rambling but it was honest rambling and the kiss and massage he was rewarded with made his eyes roll into the back of his head which told him it was definitely something he should do more often.

•••

Dinner was interesting so far. Very interesting.

There was a system of seating that had been upheld since they first devised it. Robin and Harry created it believing this would cause the least amount of arguments, and/or fights to occur. This meant that Colin and Tony sat across from each other, meaning they couldn't put their hands on each other.

They could stare though. Tony was quite content to watch Collin shift his mashed potatoes with a fork bashfully. He thought the other looked rather nice in the current lighting and wondered if they could go out on a fancy dinner date like this. Oh, yes. A date. He had a boyfriend to go on dates with. The thought alone made him giggle some.

"Hello? Earth to Tony?"

The former clock blinked hard, realising Sketch had been trying to speak to him and looked down at his companion. "Oh, uh, forgive me. I'm a little sleep deprived. What was it you were saying?" He gave Sketch a sheepish smile, hoping his best friend could let it slide.

Sketch stared at him in confusion. "Sleep deprived? Since when did you skimp out on sleep? You always have coffee early in the morning because you have trouble staying awake."

"Sleep deprivation can be caused by a number of reasons." Collin suddenly spoke, still playing with the fork. "Insomnia, anxiety, excitement, perhaps being excited for an upcoming event or past event, even being in love can cause someone to be deprived of sleep as they imagine the next time they get to be with the partner that has consented to be with them."

Tony tried to raise a hand to his mouth to hide his smile but it barely did anything so instead he pretended to cough and then straighten himself up. "Yes. Quite. It could have been any of those reasons. Thank you, Collin." Wink.

"My pleasure, Tony." Wink. Collin went back to his food, eating some of the mashed potatoes and humming. "Oh, my, Robin! This is fabulous! Is that cheese in the potatoes?"

Robin, who had been trying to not gawk at the scene before him, nodded. "Yes, Collin, those are. I do that every time I prepare mashed potatoes. It helps give them more flavour and it's Doi's favourite way to have them." He explained slowly, confused as to why Collin suddenly cared so much about it.

"Ah, well, it's marvellous! Doi obviously has good taste, even if it is higher in calories." Collin took another bite, wondering why on Earth he didn't eat more often. He briefly imagined feeding Tony instead and his face suddenly went scarlet. "It's. Good. Yes."

Tony, who had barely touched a meal he'd usually be finished with at this point, stared at Colin, wondering what made him so flustered. When he realised it was because of him, he smirked and shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with a treat every once in awhile. I think we ought to have a few more sweets in the house."

Collin's brain was going absolutely haywire. "ExcusemeI'llberightback." He managed to mumble, racing to the bathroom to try and calm himself down before he said something he'd regret.

The minute he was gone, all eyes fell upon Tony.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Tony noticed all the strange peering, having finally been trying to eat some of his food when Collin walked away.

"How long has this been going on?" Sketch asked, her gaze narrowed.

Tony feigned innocence, taking another bite of his mashed potatoes. "What been going on? My haircut? I did that yesterday." That was true. He'd wanted to look a little nicer around Collin and he was proud to say he'd done a pretty good job, all things considered.

Shrignold tsked, his head in his hand. "She means you and Collin. As a couple thing. Of course you'd end up being a traitor too." He huffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh, please. Collin and I are nothing more than close friends. We've finally made up and decided to respect each other's differences, that's all! Collin will be happy to tell you the truth as well." Tony assured, going back to eating his food with confidence before he heard a loud, familiar voice coming from the downstairs bathroom.

"Why am I so awkward?! It's not a big deal! All I have to do is not make it seem like Tony and I are dating so we don't start any controversy but of course, I have to act all weird! Ugh, he's so cute! And pudgy! And adorable! It's not my fault if I can't stop thinking about him! Why am I hiding?! Other than the fact that I'm somewhat afraid of what will occur and Tony politely asked me not to say anything! Oh curse his shining eyes, of course I promised something difficult, it's impossible to resist his gaze! I mean, really! Look, just, take a deep breath, pretend like you're not dating the most amazing guy ever that you've liked for forever now and convince everyone else of it! It's not hard! But I want to hold his hand! But it's not hard! I kissed him today! That was my first ki- _COLLIN, IT'S NOT THAT HARD!_ Okay. Okay. I'm okay. Just think about the cuddles later. And think about how proud he'll be. Maybe he'll give me a cute nickname or something! That would be amazing! I could call him something clock related! Like Grandfather Clock! Oh no. No, no, Collin. Rethink that one. Okay. Okay, just go out there and pretend you're not dating him. It's as easy as teaching a lesson. Alright. Hoo. You love him, you can do this for him."

There was a sound of hands being washed before Collin then finally emerged from the bathroom and walked to the table, taking his seat and picking up his fork when he noticed the entire table in different positions of shock. "Um, is something wrong?"

"Collin." Tony managed to say, staring at the table like it was a lifeline. "Your voice. Is loud. The downstairs bathroom has thin walls. And you yelled out everything you said. We heard. Everything."

Collin took in a sharp breath, holding his head in his hand and letting the reality of the situation sink in. "Oh. Oh my God."

There was a long, shocked pause of everyone not eating and trying to comprehend the events that had just occurred.

Young Doi then decided to speak his mind. "I think Grandfather clock would be a cute nickname!"

Harry and Robin only met eyes for miliseconds before they abruptly stood up and spoke in sync. "BEDTIME, it's bedtime, oh, wow, it's late!" Their words became jumbled up excuses as they took Doi's arms and dragged him out, one of them being it was a school night, even though it was a Friday. "Goodnight!"

This left the teachers to themselves.

"Okay, I'm sorry but did you say first kiss? Tony was your first kiss?" Stacey brought up first, pointing to Tony in absolute confusion. "I thought you dated some other guy! Gilly or something!"

"Gilbert moved away three months ago! He had an affair with the fridge guy!" Collin shouted back, not sure why he was so loud. That was actually rather natural of him. "I never kissed him or anything, we just got along rather well and used to cuddle sometimes!"

Shrignold scoffed, rolling his eyes as he sunk into his chair. "Of course you of all people would drag Tony into the closet with you."

"He didn't drag anyone into anything, Shrignold." Tony hissed, his eyes momentarily flashing red. "I chose to be with him, I chose to like him and if you speak about him like that again, I'll make you sincerely regret it."

"Eeeeeasy, guys! There's no need to be so aggressive!" Larry put his hands up in defense, lowering them down as a suggestion. "Let's all take deeep breaths and try not to get so overwhelmed!"

Stanley nodded in agreement. "You're right, Larry. How about we all have some t-oh. I forgot. Tony drank the last of it with Collin the other night." He then winced, now hit with a memory that told him those words were a mistake.

Larry blinked several times, looking incredulous. "Excuse me? I thought you said you had a leftover stash for me! You know how much I need tea before bed?"

"Almost as much as Tony likes Collin in bed, I'm sure." Sketch grumbled, not even sure why she'd suddenly turned so sour but she still spoke what was on her mind.

Tony turned to her as quick as a viper, absolutely shocked. "What is your problem?! I thought you wanted me to move on! We were not compatible, remember? I moved on and I'm happy I did! Unlike you, Collin actually cares about what I have to say and doesn't insult my interests!"

"Why did you keep him a secret if he's so great? Why did you ask him to hide? I'm your best friend!" Sketch yelled back, her arms in tight fists.

"Why does it matter? They've got a right to privacy, you of all people should know that! You always have secrets!" Stacey butted in out of nowhere, feeling offended for old reasons.

Shrignold couldn't keep his mouth shut either. "What, did you two have some sort of love affair as well? Am I the only normal one here?"

"None of us are normal, you included, Shrignold! You're no better than any of us, so grow up and stop acting like it! You don't even have your preschool cult to hide behind anymore!" Tony snapped at him, the sound of the lovebug's voice alone sending him into a frenzy.

Collin watched as the teachers continued to feud and old wounds were reopened, harsher insults were made and he could see Tony's eyes turning into a more vibrant, ruby shade. "Tony, it's late. You ought to let-"

"If you hadn't been so damn loud in the first place, this never would have happened! All I asked was one night to think over how we'd say it, one night to spend not stressing out over exactly what's going on right now! For as smart as you are, you should know when to shut up for once in your life!" Tony took a step forward, a nearby flower wilting before he stopped.

The entire house went silent. It was a house rule to not upset Collin too much. To be careful in situations like this because they all knew too well that his temper could land them in digital Hell. Everyone braced for it, frozen in place, terrified of what was to come.

But something much worse happened instead.

Collin stood there, hurt plain on his face, tears in his eyes and shoulders shaking with the effort it took not to sob then and there. He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't, turning around and heading to the slide door that lead to the backyard.

"Collin. Wait." Tony started to speak, reaching out some. There was a terribly cold feeling in the pit of his body and he absolutely knew he fucked up. "I didn't mean to yell. Please, I. I'm sorry."

"I need some ti-" Collin cut himself off with a sniffle, fisting his hand tighter. "Space alone. Please." He opened the door and slammed it behind him as quickly as he could.

Tony stood there, his eyes wide as he did so. That was a clear sign Collin didn't want him to go out with him but that's all Tony wanted to do. To apologize and make things better. "I should have been the one to shut up." He grumbled, moving to the couch with a groan. "Of course I ruined it. Not even one day passed and I completely fucking blew it. I hope you're all happy." He didn't have the energy or strength to genuinely yell, his heart aching from the sight of Collin shutting him out.

Sketch bit her lip, walking over slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I did. It was...shitty of me, yeah. I'm just jealous. I do want you to move on but I didn't want it to be so soon? That was selfish of me. I'm. I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't know it was going to stress you out so much. I don't even know what I was saying."

"We've all been a little out of sorts since we became human. Secrets and hiding made sense when we were tools but we're not that anymore. So maybe we should try to have less of those. Preferably none." Stacey sat at the stool of the kitchen, taking off her hat to stare at it.

"It's been hard losing Malcolm and the others. I'm still trying to get used to this, to your ways of life. I shouldn't have lashed out though. For all the preaching I did about love, that definitely didn't do anything kind or good for anyone. I'm genuinely sorry. I shouldn't be lashing out at you or anyone." Shrignold sat up in his chair, bringing his knees to his chest.

"Okay. We obviously all have problems. And we don't ever talk about them to each other. We end up saving them for these feuds that just end in hurt feelings and tears. If we just sat down together every once in awhile and talked about things beforehand, maybe we could avoid this later. Right now, we should focus on making things happening tonight better. Like, going out and talking to Collin and maybe saying things about how we feel without insulting each other." Stanley brought up, putting a hand on Stacey's back. "If someone's confused, say it. If you're mad or sad or upset, say it and then say why. Name calling and bringing up horrible memories ends with this. And I don't want this."

"I don't want this either." Larry shook his head, sitting at the table still. "I'm sorry for being upset over tea. Especially when we've got a lot bigger things to be upset over and talk about. But the night's not over. We've still got time to make things a little better before bedtime."

Tony turned around, looking at the others and rubbing at his eyes some. "Please help me. I know I said some terrible things tonight but I need to make it up to him. He means the world to me and he's been wanting this-I mean, you all heard him. I'd hate to ruin a dream of his over some nasty drama."

"Well, I'd be happy to do whatever it takes to make his dream happy!" Larry promised, jumping right up to his feet.

"I'm in. I owe it to him for helping me reach those paint cans the other day." Sketch pretended to casually shrug it off, clearly meaning more.

"We're in!" Both Stacey and Stanley chimed in, getting off their stools to go ahead and join.

Shrignold watched everyone else run over, holding his arm briefly before he saw Tony make eye contact with him.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, it's fine. I've got all the help I need." Tony promised, raising up a hand. "No hard feelings. I understand what it's like to feel out of touch."

Shrignold gave a soft scoff. "I made you uncomfortable in front of everyone. The least I can do is be a little uncomfortable to make it up to you. Now, where do we start?"

•••

Collin sat on the grass, his tears finally done as he curled up into himself. "You idiot. He liked you. He said he liked you and you ruined it. The minute you see him again, you know exactly what he'll say-"

"Can I interest you in a cup of cocoa?"

Collin shot up to his feet at once, his eyes wide seeing Tony and two full cups of hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon shavings. "T-Tony? Is that? For me?"

"It's cold out here. And hot cocoa was all we had left. Turns out someone drank the last tea packet the other day." Tony chuckled, holding out the mint green cup.

Collin took it, shivering at the light brushing of fingers before he remembered why he was out here in the first place. "I'm. I'm sorry for talking about us. It was an accident." He frowned, feeling deeply ashamed over his loud mouth.

Tony frowned, setting the cocoa on a nearby outdoor table. "No. It was a mistake of me to want to hide it. Or you. You make me happy, Colin. And I don't know why but I seem to make you happy too. I don't think there was any good reason to keep this a secret. I don't want to. I like this. I like you."

Collin sniffled, setting the cocoa down on the table before hugging the other tightly. "I like you too. I was really scared you didn't like me anymore. Really, really scared."

"I don't like you, Collin. I love you. I want to get to know you better and I can't expect to do that if I make you hide bits and pieces of you." Tony nuzzled the other, bringing a hand onto his hair and gently stroking it. "I'm sorry about dinner. But I do have a surprise for you in the house if you'd like it."

Collin nodded, separating as he smiled, his eyes still pink and his demeanour a little ruffled. "I don't need it. You've made me really happy already but I'd love to see a good surprise." He finished wiping away the cold tears and put on a proper smile.

Tony lead him to the house, intertwining hands with the other and once they were back, he opened the slide door gently. "I know it's not much but I thought you might like it."

Collin gasped as he noticed one of the tables from the other room had been moved here having just two chairs and a large cheese pizza, warm and untouched. String lights illuminated the room and someone's radio was left playing soft acoustic music that reminded him of a song. "My song! How did you get it on guitar? Or a radio? Tony-I-this-is beautiful!" He ran into the room, mouth agape.

"It turns out Larry likes to play guitar and record it, so I asked if we could borrow Shrignold's radio and he said yes. So then Sketch supplied the lights, Stacey made us a pizza and Stanley moved the tables for us. I just made us hot cocoa." Tony took in the two cups and used his foot to shut the door, setting them down onto the table. "It's a bit rushed but-"

Collin took him by the collar and pulled him right into a kiss, waiting until he was breathless to pull away. "It's perfect. You're perfect. I'm. Stay my boyfriend. Sit, eat, enjoy music and tell me all about the French Revolution while I feed you."

Tony gave the dumbest smile he could manage to give. "Ah, well. How could I resist discussing the beheading of royals with my beloved?" He managed to lilt, making his way over to the table, not having let go of Collin's hand and sitting right beside him.

Outside, several people who'd snuck out of bed to get a sneak peak were caught by the one person who slept in a treehouse.

"Come on, back inside, all of you. They need some private time." Shrignold dismissed them, shooing them back to their rooms. "I may not entirely understand or agree with it but I know you all do. So, go on." He waited until no one could see him to take out his binoculars, getting one last look at the couple before he put them away, heading to bed. "Times really have changed. Love, I suppose stayed the same but...maybe I ought to give them a chance." He curled up into bed with a yawn, turning onto his side. "Perhaps I could forgive Shrigops for that nasty murder incident as well. Maybe."

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, thanks for reading everyone!! Stick around this place for more DHMiS one-shots! I've got a lot done and a bunch I'm writing, so that's. That's gonna be a thing around here. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Especially if ya got a favorite part. Always tell me your favorite part.


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